Method of and apparatus for displaying shoe lasts and the like



Dec. 14, 1937. R P SCHWARTZ 2,102,038

METHOD `OFY AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING SHOE LASTS AND THE LIKE Filed.l July 1,1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l Y ...,5 y 7 i l 1 Z-Z-g/{Q-z leg; 1-ii L 7 z/Eni /5 y 3i-H' n jig 3W/W 41's AUQRNEY Dec. 14, 1937. R. P. SCHWARTZ METHOD OF AND APPARATUS DISPLAYING SHOE LASTS AND THE LIKE Filed July l, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ZPZQZS "as ORNEY Patented Dec. 14, 1937 METHODOF AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAY- ING SHOE LASTSl ANDl THE LIKE ariete schwanz, Rochester, N. Y. -Y Application July 1, 1935,seria1 No.; 29,211

" 13 claims. (o1. 355o This invention relates to a method of andto Y apparatus for displayingone or more shoe lasts in motion. y Y

Y In showing the merits of a shoe last or in dernonstrating the superiority ofv one shoe last over another, it is desirable to move the last or lasts in a manner simulating the movements ofl a human foot while taking a step. It has been found Ythat a shoe built ona last, which is substantially stable when the heel portion thereof is raised and lowered by .the apparatus herein disclosed, ,will properly fit the wearers foot while in motion as well as at rest. However, shoes built on lasts, y which wobble or are unstable Vwhen manipulated 5 as herein shown, do not properly tthe feet of the wearer as'he or she walks, although the shoe might be comfortable while at rest. y c

ItV is the purpose of YVthe present invention, therefore,vto provide a method of effecting unrestrained movements of a last or lasts to display the stability or unstability thereof, and to provide apparatus for carrying out the method.`

The various features and advantages: of the invention will appear from the detailed description and theclaims when taken with the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the display device of this invention with a portion of its lastV platform broken away to more clearly illustrate the mechanism located therebene'ath and with the mirror at the rear of the device as well as one last and its operating rod, omitted; Fig. l2 is a front elevation of the device with the mirror in position but with a part of the device including -the Atwo lasts sectioned on substantially the line 2-2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, illustrating a last in one extreme position, the base being shown in full;l and'Fig. 4 is a fragmentary verti- Lcal section similarV to that shown in Fig. 3,-except '40 that thelast is illustrated in its other extreme position. I Y Y ,The device includes a rectangular rigid base v5 having four Vertical posts E preferably'formed of angle iron secured thereto adjacent its respective corners. On the upper ends of these posts, there is mounted, in any suitable manner, a transparent platform 'l preferably of glass on which portions -of lasts 8 and 9 can rest, the last 8 being representedas stable or balanced. In order to vactuate these lasts through a cycle of movements simulatingthe motions of a human foot inthe act of -taking a step, the heel portion Il) of each Vlast is arranged to be reciprocatedbetween its extreme lowermost'position shown in Fig. 3 wherein the ball area Il ofrthe last engages the platform Vl, and its extreme uppermost portion shown in Fig. 4 wherein the' toe portion l2 of the last engages .this platform. Ihe lowering of the heel of the last t'o position illustrated in Fig. 3 is to Vinsure "5' the engagement oi the entire forward sole portion of therlast with the platform during each cycle of movement ofthe last. It will be understood that 'as theheel of the last is'raised from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position in Fig.` '4, successive areas of the sole of the last from the ball portion thereof vto the toe portion'thereof, engage the platform. Similarly during the loweringof the heel portion of the last, successive Vportions of the sole of the Ylast from the toe portion to the ball portion, Vengage the platform in the reverse of the order just described. One complete raising of the last and one complete lowering of the'same constitute a cycle but in operating the display device, the lasts are raised Vand lowered 1continuously to-effect a continuous series of cycles of movements.

The sole of the heel portion il) of each last has a rather deep central depression therein, the

bottom of which depression is armoured by al substantially iiat metal disk I4 serving as a bearing. In order to raise and lower each last to eiect 4the movements just referred to, an upwardly reciprocating rod l 5 is provided which rod termi- 'hates at its upper end in a rigid pin I6 the free 'end of which engages the disk'ld in the depression in the heel portion of its last. The upper Yend of each pinV I6 approximates substantially a point support for the heel of the last, so that the last can rock freely thereabout. As herein illustrated,l however, the upper or free end of the pin is somewhat rounded so that it gives the effect. of a point support and yet it will not wearaway asrquickly as if its free end actually tapered to a sharp point. Each rod I5 makes a freely sliding t in a sleeve I 'l which sleeves are suitable manner,V each rod at its lower end is cams 22 are mounted on a horizontal shaft 23 adapted to rotate in suitable bearings provided in the upper ends of Ythe uprights 24' secured to the base. The 'shaft 2,3 is continuously rotated in any convenient manner preferably by a motor rss 25, through suitable vspeed reduction means. This means, as herein illustrated, includes a gear 26 on the horizontal shaft 23, which gear meshes with a second gear 21 mounted on a stub shaft 28 supported by means not shown, for rotation in parallel relation to the -horizontal shaft 23. This stub shaft has secured thereto, near one end, a worm gear 29 which meshes with a worm 30 provided on the end of the shaft 3| of the motor.

At the rear of the platform a mirror 32 is mounted in-suitable brackets 33, attached to the rear posts 6 with the angle between the mirror and the platform slightly greater than the right angle, preferably about degrees so that when the device is tilted in operation by reason of the rear portion of the base being elevated as by resting on a block 34, the mirror 32 is in substantially a vertical plane. This tilting of the device during its operation is desirable since the platform 'l is preferably inclined downwardly away from the mirror so that the toe portions of the lasts will not swing in arcs about the pins l 6 because the force of gravity tends to maintain the longy axes of the lasts substantially at right angles to the plane of a mirror.

In the operation of the device, the motor 25 through the previously mentioned speed reduction means includingthe worm 30 and wormA gear 29 as well as the gearsZG and 21, continuously rotates the horizontal shaft 23 carrying the cams 22. As these cams rotate from the position representing their low points illustrated in Fig. 3 to their high points as illustrated in Fig. 4, the rods I5 are e'levated to raise the heel portions of the last from their extreme lower position to their extreme upper position. During this elevation of the heel portion of each last, successive areas of the last from the ball area H to the toe portion I2 thereof, engage the platform 1. If the last such as 8 is unstable, it will wobble during its elevation from its dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 toits full line position shown in that View and also during its. subsequent descent, whereas, the last 9 which is a stable or balanced last is elevated and lowered without any wobbing action. As the cams 22 rotate from their high points to their low points, the reverse of the operations just described, takes place. Thus an observer standing at the front of the machine can observe the actual wobbling of the unstable last and the absence of wobbling of the stable last directly and can also view in the mirror the reflection of the various movements of the heel portion of the last.

While applicant has illustrated a preferred form of the invention, there can be many modifications and changes therein within the scope of the present claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. An arrangement for displaying the behaviour of a last during movements thereof approximating movements of a human foot while taking a step, which comprises a platform, a last having at least a portion thereof resting on said platform, said last being freely movable in all directions about an upwardly extending axis, and means loosely contacting said last for raising and lowering the heel portion thereof.

k2. An arrangement for displaying the behaviour of a last during movements thereof approximating movements of the human foot while taking a step, which comprises a platform, a last having at least a portion thereof resting on said platform, said last being freely movable in all directions about an upwardly extending axis, and means for loosely reciprocating the heel portion 0f the last toward and away from said platform.

3. An arrangement for displaying the behaviour of a last during movements thereof approximating movements of a human foot while taking a step, which comprises a platform, a last having at least a portion thereof resting on said platform, said last being freely movable in all directions about an upwardly extending axis, and reciprocating means loosely contacting a small area of the bottom of the heel portion of said last for moving said portion toward and away from said platform.

4. An arrangement for displaying the behaviour of a last during movements thereof approximating movements of a human foot while taking a step, which comprises a platform inclined to the horizontal, a last having at least a portion thereof resting on said platform with said portion inclined downwardly, said last being freely movable about an upwardly extending axis, and means for raising and lowering the heel portion of the last.

5. An arrangement for displaying the behaviour of a last during movements thereof approximating movements of a human foot while taking a step, which comprises a platform inclined to the-horizontal, a last having at least a portion thereof resting on said platform with said portion inclined downwardly, said last being freely movable in all directions about an upwardly extending axis, and means disconnected from said last but loosely contacting a portion of the bottom of the heel portion of the last for raising and lowering said heel portion.

6. An arrangement for displaying the behaviour of a last during movements thereof approximating movements of a human foot while taking a step, which comprises a platform inclined to the horizontal, a last having at least a portion thereof resting on but disconnected from said platform with said portion inclined downwardly, and means making substantially a loose point contact with the bottom of the heel portion of the last for raising and lowering said heel portion toward and away from said platform.

'7. An arrangement for displaying the'behaviour of a last during movements thereof approximating movements of a human foot while taking a step, which comprises a platform, a last having;

at least a portion thereof resting on said platform, said last having a depression in the bottom of its heel portion, a rod having its upper end loosely contacting said depression, and means for reciprocating said rod along its principal axis.

8. An arrangement for displaying the behaviour of a last during movements thereof approximating movements of a human foot while taking a step, which comprises a platform, a last having at least a portion thereof resting on said platform, said last having a depression of appreciable area centrally located in the bottom of its heel portion, an upwardly extending rod terminating at its upper'end in a reduced area approximating a point which loosely engages said depresl 'F sion, and means for reciprocating said rod.

9. An arrangement for displaying the behaviour of a last during movements thereof approximating movements of a human foot while taking a step, which comprises a platform, a mirror adjacent the rear edge of said platform and making approximately a right angle therewith, a last having at least a portion thereof resting on said platform and having the rear of its heel portion facing said mirror, said last being freely movable ing a step, which comprises a platform, a stable last and an unstable last, said lasts having at least portions thereof resting on said platform, saidV lasts bein-g freely movable in all directions about upwardly extending axes, and means loosely engaging said lasts forV raising and lowering the heel portions thereof.

11. An arrangement for displaying the behaviour respectively of a stable last and an unstable last during movements thereof approximating movements of the human foot while taking a step, which comprises a platform, a stable last and an unstable last, said lasts being freely movable in all directions about upwardly extending axes and having at least portions thereof resting on said platform, and means loosely engaging the bottom of the heel portions of said lasts for raising and lowering said heel portions.

12. The method of demonstrating the'action of a last through a cycle of movements like those through which a foot moves in walking, which comprises supporting the last in an exposed position with the forward portion thereof on a substantially fiat surface, said last being freely movable bodily with respect to said surface, and alternately pushing the heel portion of the last upwardly and then lowering it.

13. The method of demonstrating the action of a last through a cycle of movements like those through which a foot moves in walking, which comprises supporting the last incan exposed position with the forward portionthereof on va substantially flat surface, said last being freely movable bodily with respect to said surface, and applying force to substantially a point area on the bottom of the heel portion of the last and gradually reducing said force to raise and lower said heel portion. Y A

R. PLATO SCHWARTZ. 

